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The National Bank of the Ukraine (NBU) raised its benchmark interest rate to 30 percent from 19.5 percent, the biggest increase in 15 years. It reflects its attempt to save a collapsing economy from hyperinflation that some estimate at 272 percent. On Tuesday, the NBU said that the new refinancing rate would start on Wednesday. This is the second rate increase this year, as the bank raised it in February to 19.5 percent from 14 percent. NBU chief V А Gontareva said in a media briefing that they took the decision because they saw the “threat of inflation had risen strongly due to negative consequences from currency market panic”. The bank also kept in place the requirement for companies to sell about 75 percent of their forex earnings, which they hope would stabilise the grivnya. Gontareva hopes that it’d will return it to a level of 20-22 to the US dollar “quickly”. The grivnya lost about 70 percent of its value since the start of the Maidan unrest a year ago. On Tuesday, it traded at 26 grivnya/USD {it’s bouncing between 24 to 27/USD today… it appears that the USA is propping it up. If so, for how long?: editor}; a year ago, a greenback bought 8 grivnya. This pushes up inflation, with official numbers showing prices rising by 28.5 percent in annual terms. However, separate research by Johns Hopkins professor Steve Hanke suggests that the real inflation rate is 272 percent, the world’s highest, well above Venezuela’s 127 percent rate.

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Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God: defend me from them that rise up against me. Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloody men. For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul: the mighty are gathered against me; not for my transgression, nor for my sin, O Lord. They run and prepare themselves without my fault: awake to help me, and behold. Thou therefore, O Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, awake to visit all the heathen: be not merciful to any wicked transgressors. Selah.

They return at evening: they make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city. Behold, they belch out with their mouth: swords are in their lips: for who, say they, doth hear? But thou, O Lord, shalt laugh at them; thou shalt have all the heathen in derision. Because of his strength will I wait upon thee: for God is my defence. The God of my mercy shall prevent me: God shall let me see my desire upon mine enemies. Slay them not, lest my people forget: scatter them by thy power; and bring them down, O Lord our shield. For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips let them even be taken in their pride: and for cursing and lying which they speak. Consume them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be: and let them know that God ruleth in Jacob unto the ends of the earth. Selah.

And at evening let them return; and let them make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city. Let them wander up and down for meat, and grudge if they be not satisfied. But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble. Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing: for God is my defence, and the God of my mercy.

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Russia stands ready to defend Holy Rus… the West wants to strangle Holy Orthodoxy and replace it with the soulless Unia, the rebellious schism, and wilful sectarianism… it wants to destroy real religion and replace it with a castrated and impotent simulacrum. That’s the real prize at stake in the current crisis. Shall Holy Rus survive or shall Error and Falsehood overcome it? THAT is the question…

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Read this. The elephant groaned and gave birth to a mouse. Virtually no one showed for this scumbag zapdnik’s funeral. There were no huge demonstrations… there were no mass outcries of grief. The government sent two minor figures, Deputy Chairmen of the Government (what ignorant Westerners call “Deputy Prime Ministers”… they’re not that, but the Westerners refuse to see Russia and its institutions for what they are)… the grave is at a second-tier nomenklatura cemetery in the far outskirts by the MKAD. Oh, yes… the US Ambassador showed and cried crocodile tears, as did ex-British PM John Major… the common people were noticeable by their absence. Don’t make a fuss over Nemtsov… he died as he lived… a lawless grasping scumbag just like his Western backers. I gotta say, the Westerners had CHUTZPAH… they iced him and then they showed at his funeral lauding him to the skies (of course, they deny it… has Langley EVER fessed up to anything?). Even Don Vito never sank so low…

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Read this. The so-called “National Guard” isn’t a real military organisation. It isn’t under the Minoborony Ukrainy… it isn’t headed by real military officers… it’s under the MVDU. They’re nothing but unsoldierly prison guards, internal security troops, a thuggish Gestapo that beats up unarmed civilians, and press-gang members. The US forces are going to “train” such trash?! It’s impossible. It’s trying to “pour a quart into a pint pot”… it’s inherently unworkable and lunatic. Frankly, I think that the Americans don’t expect anything of this mission. It’s all Kabuki… they’ve stolen the Ukrainian gold reserves and much of the forex reserves, so, there’s nothing much else left of value for the Americans to steal. Obama simply wishes to prolong the unviable American puppet state to forestall criticism from his domestic Republican rivals… it has nothing to do with anything on the ground in Novorossiya, Malorossiya, Galicia, Bukovina, or Podkarpatskaya. Ergo, the mission… I think that no one expects much of it, but the pols want it, so, the soldiers will go. There’s only one good point… if the patriots break out, you can count on the Anglos turning tail as they did in Gori in ’08. Americans are big talkers… but as for delivery… need I go on?